Search for missing 9-year-old girl in South Dakota on hold

Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom speaks to the media Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, at the Rapid City, S.D., Public Safety Building about the efforts so far in the search for Serenity Dennard, a 9-year-old girl who ran away from a residential youth home in western South Dakota last weekend. (Ryan Hermens/Rapid City Journal via AP)

Tammy Stadel, Pennington County Search and Rescue team leader, speaks to the media Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, at the Rapid City, S.D., Public Safety Building about the efforts so far in the search for Serenity Dennard, a 9-year-old girl who ran away from a residential youth home in western South Dakota last weekend. (Ryan Hermens/Rapid City Journal via AP)

Bill Colson, Children's Home Society executive director, speaks to the media Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, at the Rapid City, S.D., Public Safety Building about the efforts so far in the search for Serenity Dennard, a 9-year-old girl who ran away from a residential youth home in western South Dakota last weekend. (Ryan Hermens/Rapid City Journal via AP)

Rapid City Police Chief Karl Jageris, from left, Pennington County Search and Rescue team leader Tammy Stadel, Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom and Children's Home Society executive director Bill Colson appear at a news conference Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, at the Rapid City, S.D., Public Safety Building to discuss the efforts so far in the search for Serenity Dennard, a 9-year-old girl who ran away from a residential youth home in western South Dakota last weekend. (Ryan Hermens/Rapid City Journal via AP)

Bill Colson, right, Children's Home Society executive director, speaks to the media Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, at the Rapid City, S.D., Public Safety Building about the efforts so far in the search for Serenity Dennard a 9-year-old girl who ran away from a residential youth home in western South Dakota last weekend. Colson was joined at the media conference by, from left, Pennington County Search and Rescue team leader Tammy Stadel, Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom, and, not pictured, Rapid City Police Chief Karl Jageris. (Ryan Hermens/Rapid City Journal via AP)

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Authorities have put on hold the search for a 9-year-old girl who ran away from a residential youth home amid frigid weather more than a week ago in South Dakota.

Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom told reporters Monday that authorities are regrouping and trying to decide "how and when" they continue recovery efforts for Serenity Dennard.

The Rapid City Journal reports the sheriff said the investigation remains open until the girl is found.

The search for Serenity had been stalled for two days because of a winter storm before resuming Friday. The girl went missing Feb. 3 in subfreezing temperatures from the Black Hills Children's Home near Rockerville.

The sheriff's office has said if the girl was outside, it's unlikely she survived because she wasn't dressed for the weather. Authorities said their efforts are now focused on finding her body .